Sunnyvale, CA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)
Water restrictions in Sunnyvale, CA, also called the watering schedule, outdoor irrigation rules, or drought ordinance, set which days and hours you can run sprinklers or irrigation.
Key Facts
- Watering hours banned
- 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daylight saving time, potable water
- Sprinkler run limit
- 15 minutes per station per day, standard systems
- Governing chapter
- SMC Chapter 12.34, Water Conservation Restrictions
- Enforcement
- Director of Environmental Services
- First-offense penalty
- Flow restrictor installed 3-10 days, $50 fee
- Rain buffer
- No irrigation during rain or 48 hrs after 0.20 in.
Summary
Sunnyvale bans daytime lawn watering and runoff under its year-round Water Conservation Restrictions ordinance. Municipal Code Section 12.34.020 prohibits irrigating outdoor landscaping with potable water between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. during daylight saving time, unless using a hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle, and caps automatic sprinkler runs at 15 minutes per station per day. The Director of Environmental Services enforces the rule citywide.
(a) To prevent the waste and unreasonable use of water and to promote water conservation, the following actions are hereby prohibited, except where necessary to address an immediate health or safety need or to comply with a term or condition in a permit issued by a state or federal agency: ... (3) The use of potable water to irrigate outdoor landscaping between the hours of nine a.m. and six p.m. during daylight savings time except with a bucket or a hose that is fitted with a shut-off nozzle or device that causes it to cease dispensing water immediately when not in use. (4) The use of potable water to irrigate outdoor landscaping more than fifteen minutes per day per station when using a landscape irrigation system or a watering device that is not continuously attended, except for landscape irrigation systems that exclusively use very low-flow drip-type irrigation systems when no emitter produces more than two gallons of water per hour, weather-based controllers, or stream rotor sprinklers that meet a seventy-one percent efficiency standard.
Full Breakdown
010). 020 lists twelve nonessential uses that are flatly prohibited unless an immediate health or safety need applies or a state or federal permit condition requires otherwise. during daylight saving time, except with a bucket or a hose fitted with a shut-off nozzle. A companion limit caps automatic irrigation systems and unattended watering devices at fifteen minutes per station per day, unless the system uses very low-flow drip emitters of two gallons per hour or less, weather-based controllers, or stream rotor sprinklers rated at 71 percent efficiency or better.
20 inches of measurable rainfall, hosing down sidewalks and driveways, washing vehicles with a hose lacking a shut-off nozzle, running decorative fountains without recirculating water, and irrigating ornamental turf on street medians. Restaurants and other eating establishments may serve drinking water only on request. Hotels and motels must offer guests the option to skip daily towel and linen laundering. 030).
Violations & Fines
A first violation of Section 12.34.020 can bring a Director's cease-and-desist order under Section 12.34.040; continued noncompliance triggers installation of a flow-restricting device on the water service line for 3 to 10 days on a first offense and at least 10 days for each repeat violation, up to three months for habitual violators. The city charges $50 to install and $50 to remove the device, and mails 24-hour advance written notice to both user and property owner before installation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hours can I water my lawn in Sunnyvale?
What happens if I keep violating the watering restrictions?
Do these rules apply to my HOA's landscaped common areas?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sunnyvale
How Sunnyvale compares: Cities with the Strictest Water Restrictions·California rules heatmap·Compare Sunnyvale to another location·View the California landscaping rules overview
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Water Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle water restrictions.